Police Dept. needs new roof

The Camden City Board of Alderman approved a request from Camden Chief of Police George Smith to begin renovations on the City Police Department offices. The approval for some of the needed repairs at the Camden Police Department (CPD) came at the board meeting held on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

“The roof has been leaking for quite some time,” reported Smith. As well as a leaking roof, it has been determined that the air conditioning units are not up to code regarding their energy efficiency rating.

A visit to the police department building brought the depth of the issue to light. There are damaged ceiling tiles where the roof has been leaking, and mold surrounds the air vents and the duct work. Some carpet has been pulled up due to water damage from the leaks. There are four large buckets on the ready to catch the water, but department personnel report that sometimes they are not enough. The catch buckets also provide a trip hazard to employees traveling through those areas.

The monies for the roof repairs have already been allocated in the departments 2024-2025 budget. Further problems involving plumbing and an out of order water fountain will have to be addressed in another year’s budget. The white stone facia in the front of the building is crumbling and at some point will be replaced with black metal flashing. Repainting the outside of the building is in discussion.

It was noted that there is a system in place for heating for the employees during the roof repair work. A request for bids on the roof repairs will be made in the near future.